Crusaders to induct 9 into HOF

September 22, 2013

STEUBENVILLE - The Crusader Athletic Hall of Fame will hold its first induction ceremony since 1993 on Saturday. The ceremony will be part of Catholic Central's Homecoming weekend.

Nine CCHS graduates are scheduled to join the hall. The induction ceremony is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. at the school.

A selection committee, chaired by Leo Lanaghan, came up with the names of those being honored. Other committee members were Jim Orlando, Jim Sweeney, Rocky Augustine, Mario Saggio and David Mosti.

David Riley, a 1994 CCHS grad, provided assistance in planning the event. Riley produced the documentary "Crusaders Bold: The Making of Catholic Central's 1993 State Championship." His film will be shown publicly for the first time at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Natalie Campana-Lucas and her multi-media class at the Jefferson County Joint Vocational School also supported the event with programs and audio visual support. Specifically, they produced highlight footage of each inductee

Following are information capsules for the 2013 honorees:

Fact Box

The schedule of events for Catholic Central's Homecoming weekend is as follows:

Friday

7:30 p.m.: Informal social at The Ville Restaurant,

Saturday

11:30 a.m.: Homecoming parade from CCHS to Harding Stadium.

12:30 p.m.: Recognition of 1993 state championship football team and 1994 baseball squad, which also claimed an Ohio title.

Baker dominated the hurdles and broke every record for the 100 and 300 events at every league, invitational, district and regional meet she participated in throughout the Ohio Valley. As a four-year letter winner and two-year team captain, Baker played a key role in leading the 1992 CCHS girls track team to an undefeated season.

"Timber-Topping Wizard", "Flash" and "Top Female Hurdler" are just a few of the monikers Ray Smith from The Herald Star used to describe Baker.

Her list of accolades includes:

She earned a scholarship to Ohio University where she was freshman MVP, NCAA qualifier, won the 1994 Mid-American Conference team championship, lettered all four years and was co-captain her senior year. She is a television host and actress currently living in Michigan with her husband, J. Scott Muska.

Donald Thorn, Class of 1994

Donald Thorn was a three-year letterman in football and track.

A two-way starter in football, he manned the running back and middle linebacker positions for the Crusaders and was a key member of the 1993 state championship team. During the 1993 season, Thorn accounted for 11 touchdowns, 1,025 rushing yards and 149 yards receiving.

On the defensive side of the ball, he claimed 58 tackles while garnering four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. In his junior year, he earned OVAC honorable mention honors before being selected as first team All-Ohio Division V and first-team All-OVAC as a senior.

He was also named the Eastern District Division V Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 and played in the 1994 Rudy Mumley Ohio-West Virginia OVAC All-Star football classic. As a track standout, Thorn helped the Crusaders' 4x100 relay team qualify for state competition during his junior year. As a senior, he was a member of the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams which qualified for the state meet.

Thorn, his wife, Lyndsey and son, Miles Dominic, reside in Indianapolis.

Mike Kuczykowski, Class of 1994

Mike Kuczykowski was a three-year letterman in football and baseball.

From his fullback and middle linebacker positions on the 1993 state championship football team, he contributed 787 rushing yards and 143 yards receiving to the Crusader offense and kicked the winning field goal in overtime in the Division V state title game against Liberty Center.

He was recognized by WTOV9 and other local organizations multiple times as player of the week during the 1993 season.

As the shortstop on the 1994 Division IV state championship team, he hit four home runs during the season, including two against Berlin Hiland to help the Crusaders claim the district title. He was also a key contributor on the Crusaders' Division III state semifinalists as a junior.

He earned OVAC first-team honors in both football and baseball as a senior and played in the 1994 Rudy Mumley Ohio-West Virginia OVAC All-Star football classic.

Kuczykowski and his wife, Jesse, have five children and reside in Bloomingdale.

Mike Orlando, Class of 1994

Mike Orlando was a three-year letterman in football, basketball and baseball.

During his junior year, Orlando was a starting guard on the school's district championship basketball team. He was named first-team All-OVAC as a senior, after garnering honorable mention in his sophomore and junior years.

On the gridiron, he quarterbacked the Crusader football team to the state championship in his senior year. He accounted for more than 1,600 all-purpose yards, throwing 15 touchdown passes, and rushing for six scores.

As a strong safety, he accounted for three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Orlando earned All-OVAC honorable mention as a junior and first-team plaudits as a senior and played in the 1994 Rudy Mumley Ohio-West Virginia OVAC All-Star football classic. In his final season, he earned the OVAC Clark Hinkle Award while being named first-team All-Ohio.

On the diamond, he started at third base in his last two seasons. He helped Central to a 26-3 record and a berth in the Division III state semifinals in his junior year. As a senior, he claimed four victories as a pitcher for the Crusaders' OHSAA Division IV state champion baseball squad. He also maintained a .410 batting average while earning first-team All-OVAC accolades.

He is a 1999 graduate of Ohio University where he was a three-year letterman in football. He and his wife, Michelle, reside in Cincinnati with their two sons, Max and Sam. He is the head football coach at Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas High School.

Dr. Fernando J. Manalac Jr., Class of 1993

Dr. Fernando (Freddie) Manalac earned three letters in football and two in baseball during his days at CCHS.

During his junior and senior seasons, Manalac amassed more than 1,600 all-purpose yards as a running back and return man.

As a senior, he had three interceptions from his starting right cornerback position. In baseball, Manalac helped the Crusaders make it the state semifinals with a .320 batting average.

During his high school career, Manalac was named Ohio Eastern District Honorable mention, twice in football and once in baseball. He earned first team All-OVAC honors and played in the 1993 Rudy Mumley Ohio-West Virginia OVAC All-Star football classic, where he started at cornerback.

Manalac went on to Robert Morris University where he was a three-year starter at outside linebacker and a two-year defensive captain under coach Joe Walton. He led the Colonials to their first ECAC Bowl championship win over Duquesne University in 1996.

After finishing college, Manalac came back to coach the Crusader football team under Rich Saccoccia for a brief stint from 1999-2000. In 2005, he obtained his medical degree from St. George's University and, in 2011, he earned a masters of Medical Management from Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College of Business.

He now resides in Fort Lauderdale where he serves as the head of non-operative sports medicine at the Holy Cross Orthopedic Institute. Manalac is married to Maria Paola Loffreda-Mancinelli of Pittsburgh and they are expecting their first child in October.

Joseph P. Polshaw, Class of 1993

Joe Polshaw was a three-year starter and nine-time letter winner in football, basketball and baseball.

He was honored with the Press-Macedonia Award in his senior year, combining outstanding athletics, academics and Christian character.

In football, he played quarterback, wide receiver, defensive back, outside linebacker and punter. As a quarterback with five starts and eight appearances, he passed for 580 yards and six touchdowns. As a wide receiver, he averaged 13 yards per catch. Polshaw was part of the 1992 football team that snapped an 11-year losing streak against Steubenville Big Red.

He played in the 1993 Rudy Mumley Ohio-West Virginia OVAC All-Star football classic and started as outside linebacker and kick-returner and saw action at tight end.

In basketball, Joe played forward and accounted for 800 points and 460 rebounds in his career. In his senior year, he led the Crusaders to an 18-6 record, including two wins over Big Red on the way to the district finals. Joe was named Eastern Ohio District co-player of the year, and he played in the Eastern District and OVAC All-Star Basketball Games.

Polshaw played outfield and, third base for the Crusader baseball team. He also was a pitcher. In his senior year, the team reached the state semifinals. The Crusaders finished with a 26-3 record, including two wins over Big Red, thus completing the "year of the sweep" against their cross-town rival.

He currently works for AEP in corporate human resources and resides in Columbus.

Kenny Richardson, Class of 1992

Kenny Richardson was a four-year letterman in wrestling, earned three football letters and lettered in track during his junior year.

In his senior year of football, Kenny helped lead the Crusaders to a 10-3 record. Along the way, the Crusaders captured the OVAC AA championship, the Ohio Division IV Region 15 championship and made a state semi-final playoff appearance. Kenny rushed for 1,531 yards and accumulated 20 touchdowns during the 1991 campaign. These marks still stand as the third most rushing yards and second most touchdowns scored by a Crusader in a single season.

Richardson also earned the Father Dan Egan Award in 1991, given to the Crusader MVP of the Big Red-Central game as voted on by Big Red players. He was also named first team All-OVAC, first team All- Eastern District, first team Quad County and second team All-State Division IV.

He was selected to play in the 1992 Rudy Mumley Ohio-West Virginia OVAC All-Star football classic and Penn-Ohio All-Star football game. Kenny played football at both West Liberty College and Malone College. He lives Steubenville and works for the Jefferson County Sherriff's Department.

Kevin Williams, Class of 1991

Kevin Williams won two letters in football and wrestling during his Crusader career.

In his junior year of football, Kevin's 1,060 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns helped the Crusaders qualify for post-season play for the first time in school history. His performance in 1989 also earned him first team All-OVAC honors; second team all-district and all-region; and all-state honorable mention.

Williams also earned the Father Dan Egan Award for his effort during the 1989 city championship game against Steubenville Big Red.

In his senior year, he was even more impressive, rushing for 1,170 yards and 15 scores. This effort earned him first team all-OVAC honors; first team all-district and all-region; and third team all-state.

He was selected to play in the 1991 Penn-Ohio All-Star game. He was also chosen by his Ohio teammates as captain for the Rudy Mumley Ohio-West Virginia OVAC All-Star football classic.

Additionally, Williams was one of the top wrestlers in school history. During his junior year, he recorded 29 wins against 10 losses in the 171-pound weight class. In his senior year, Kevin recorded an incredible 33-3 record in the same weight class and claimed the sectional and district championship. He was the first Crusader wrestler to reach the state finals where he finished in second place.

Kevin played junior college football at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa and helped the Warriors win the 1993 RC Cola Bowl and junior college national championship in 1993. Kevin received his bachelor's degree from West Liberty College and served in the Army Reserves from 1994 to 2002. He is currently a juvenile state parole officer for the department of youth services in Columbus and resides in Reynoldsburg.

Joe Prest, Class of 1991

Joe Prest was a three-year letterman in football, basketball, and baseball.

In his junior year of football, he led the 1989 team to the school's first-ever state playoff appearance. In his two years as starting quarterback, the Crusaders recorded 17 wins against five losses and Prest compiled 1,848 all-purpose yards and accounted for 13 touchdowns.

During his senior year, he earned all-OVAC honorable mention in both football and basketball. As a senior in basketball, he was chosen as a District Five All-Star and played in the OVAC All-Star game. He was also selected to play in the Penn-Ohio All-Star football game in which he was named MVP.

Prest received the Press-Macedonia Award for scholastic and athletic achievements.

He passed away on April 25, 1993 while studying pre-law at Ohio State University. He joins his father, Joseph G. Prest, CCHS class of 1957, in the hall of fame.